Tailyn pretended he was checking the description, though he was actually busy trying to find a way out. He couldn’t lie to his mentor. But he couldn’t tell the truth, either. When he realized the silence was stretching out suspiciously long, he found the right way to put it.
“If I’m going to use Raptor, I need to boost three attributes. The rest are all where they should be.”
“Okay, so three. Got it…”
For a little while, the mage said nothing. They could leave and come back with reinforcements. But could the mages they’d bring be able to get through the labyrinth without help? Forian had to doubt that. But without eyes out in front of them, he was also sure they had no business heading into the dungeon — it had already been there for three thousand years, which meant it had to be packed with creatures that could take them out with a sneeze. Tartila Mine was proof enough of that. The mage spent some time staring at his student before the thoughts in his head dug far enough. And they were making him both hopeful and nervous. Finally, he’d had enough.
“Student, what I’m going to do right now is forbidden by all the laws of the empire. But new knowledge dictates new rules, and we’re going to have to revisit everything we used to think was the case. Valia, Valanil, you need to swear that you will never, either in word or in deed, verbally or non-verbally, make reference to what is about to happen. Repeat after me…
Almost as if they’d been enchanted, the herbalist and then the girl repeated the awe-inspiring oath, after which the mage turned to Tailyn.
“Student, you need to unlock those attributes and get them up to five. You’ll be our eyes — that’s our only shot at survival. There was a reason the god led us first to the large crystal and then to Olsen, leaving me with exactly the fifteen crystals you need. It’s the god’s will, and it’s not for me to intervene. Here.”
An entire packet of shimmering stones appeared in Forian’s hands. It was everything he had, and while he knew he could be punished, he was convinced he was making the right decision. When your actions keep pace with your convictions, you can stretch the law. Even if you’re an investigator.
Tailyn could barely keep himself from throwing his arms around the mage’s neck and confessing everything. But he shook himself — that was out of the question regardless of what had just happened. Grabbing the crystals and deftly dropping three into his inventory, he got to work.
Anatomy Master +4 (5).
Monster Knowledge +4 (5).
Scanner +4 (5).
The new piece of named equipment was suddenly available for use, and the boy strapped it onto his wrist nervously.
“It worked!” he said in an awed whisper as he stared out at the picture in front of him. A map of the dungeon showed up on a separate frame, though it just depicted everything within a radius of twenty meters. But even that was enough for Tailyn to gasp at the number of opponents they were up against. The security bots were everywhere.
“All level five?” Forian asked dubiously. “Are you sure? Humans haven’t been here in three thousand years, so they should be enormous!”
“That’s what I’m seeing,” Tailyn replied in confusion. “Maybe, someone’s hiding, but I don’t see anything.”
“Or Tailyn can only see the kids or simple guards, while the real monsters are high-level enough that Raptor can’t beat their protection,” Valanil said reasonably. “Don’t forget that he’s just at level one. Hey, by the way, when can we use the portal? I can’t tell you how much I want to go home.”
“We have a bit more than five hours left,” Forian said after checking. “Okay, Tailyn will go first, I’ll be after him, and the girls will carry the cage with the lix. We need to figure out what’s going on with the bots, not to mention why they’re only level five. Move out!”
Tailyn went over to the smoky wall and placed a hand on it. There was no resistance. After working up the nerve, he stepped forward and found himself in a long corridor ending in a fork. Raptor kicked into overdrive, building the dungeon structure, and it turned out to be another labyrinth or cave with a confusing mess of rooms linked by corridors or smaller rooms.
Status change. Current status: combat.
You cannot modify your current deck.
Opponents remaining: 50.
“I’m lost,” Forian muttered when he joined Tailyn. “Where are there so few of them?”
The boy could only shrug. He was also on edge — it was a mythical dungeon, the kind there were only ten of on the planet, and it was just about empty, guarded only by some innocent little machines. Even he wouldn’t have had a problem taking them out alone, and he was at level one. In fact, that’s what he did by sending his companion in.
Experience received: +3 (to next level: 247).
The dragon fried one of the bots and flew back, afraid of the return fire.
“You’re kidding!” the shocked boy whispered as he took a closer look at the damage numbers. Just the two remaining bots had knocked off half Li-Ho-Dun’s shield. The dragon flew back and hid behind its master, displaying no desire whatsoever to play the hero.
“Well, there’s your answer,” Forian exclaimed happily. “They’re using blasters! Finally, some kind of logic, at least. Don’t get close — we’ll take them out from range. Machines don’t like electricity, so that’s what we’ll use.”
“I…” By the time Tailyn opened his mouth to say he was ready, the whole thing was over. Valanil and Forian had each taken a shot. The bots had been reduced to smoking piles of ash.
“Tailyn, check for loot,” the mage said, though the boy was already on it. Tailyn didn’t even have to bend over the remains — Raptor had a special section for marauders, and that meant he didn’t have to worry about any more armageddons.
Loot cannot be received from artificial creations.
“Student, take the herbalist’s end of the cage. Valanil, you and I will be up front. I don’t think this is the time to explain who’s supposed to shoot what, so I need an experienced woman.”
“You need an experienced partner or an experienced woman?” the herbalist asked, unable to hold back a quick jab. And while Forian opened his mouth to respond, he realized that anything he said would sound ridiculous.
“Let’s go. Tailyn, should we go left or right?”
“Doesn’t matter. There are two bots around each corner.”
It had been a long time since Forian was that disappointed. The security bots died one after another, not even living long enough to fire a shot or charge in for an attack. Tailyn’s scanner worked miracles — they knew in advance about everything within twenty meters, even the bots that were hidden on the other side of two or three walls. The only spot that made them work was a big cave with fifteen of the machines hiding in it. Forian even had to pop a mana potion to restore his shield, having taken five blaster hits.
“That’s it?” Valanil paced the empty cave, eyeing the walls. Just like in the tunnels, they were decorated with macabre themes and for some reason crosses with someone hanging on them. “This is where Isr Kale was buried. But where’s the sarcophagus?”
“Maybe, we need to find the rest of the bots, and then the passageway to the next level will open,” Forian said. “Tailyn, lead the way.”
It took them a while to find their last opponent, and Tailyn had built a complete map of every nook and cranny in the dungeon by the time they did. As it turned out, there were rooms radiating out from the big cave to make the shape of the sun. The fiftieth bot was in the far ray as if hiding from impending doom, and Valanil hit it with a bolt of lightning before turning to Forian. She was throwing up her arms as if to ask what to do next when the System preempted her question.
Congratulations!
You destroyed the first round of monsters.
The dungeon has been updated, monster levels bumped up five times (current: 10).
***
Opponents remaining: 100.
Tailyn exchanged a confused glance with Valia. Nobody had told them the enemy could
respawn. From the direction of the sun came a conversation in a strange language, a pattering, and odd clicks.
“Kara mol!” called a loud voice right behind him, and Tailyn spun around. There was someone standing by the wall wearing green clothing that smacked of the military, and he was aiming a blaster back and forth between Forian and Valanil.
Guardsman Isr Kale (human). Artificial creation. Level 10.
Tailyn was surprised when neither of the mages reacted, and he decided to jump in.
Ka-Li.
You used Electric Strike-II.
Guardsman Isr Kale has a level 5 negator, absolute protection against magic cards through level 5.
***
Mission update: Ancient History. You found out that the troops made active use of negators, which are special devices that let them ignore magic attacks. Additional mission: negators were prohibited after the exodus and are to be disposed of when found. Find a negator and earn an impressive reward.
“Kara mol!” The blaster began turning toward Tailyn. The guardsman had realized Tailyn was also a threat, though everyone froze for a second, not sure what to do. Finally, the boy gave an order: attack!
The dragon had been crawling along the wall, avoiding any sudden moves that could attract the guard’s attention. And it was only when it was right behind him that the boy gave the order. Fire flashed, and the guardsman’s head melted away. The body stood there for a moment before flickering and disappearing, the number of enemies dropping by one.
Experience received: +8 (to next level: 239).
“Mage, what do you know about multiple rounds?” Valanil started throwing questions at Forian. “What can we expect from the dungeon?”
Even Tailyn could tell the herbalist was nervous. She’d never come across anything like what they were dealing with, and just the idea that something could be immune to her weaponry scared her.
“We’re the first to enter a dungeon. There are mentions of them dating back to the exodus, back when there were more of them, but the fragments still around don’t have anything about rounds. They also don’t mention the guards showing up just anywhere. Student, what does your map say?”
“There are four right outside this room. Another two on the other side of the wall.” Tailyn was back to his main responsibilities, though he still couldn’t help making a suggestion. “If magic doesn’t do anything to them, why don’t we try alchemical fire? Or acid spittle? Cold explosion? I have enough materials to take out all the guardsmen.”
“Do it!” Valanil replied, perking up. How had she forgotten that the boy could make elixirs even during battle? Was old age catching up to her? “Make ten of each, and we’ll test them out to see which works best. And get your dragon ready — it’s our last hope. Forian, you’re useless now, so take over the cage.”
The whole dungeon could probably hear the mage grind his teeth, and Valanil brightened. Her dig had landed. And most importantly, they both knew she was right. Forian begrudgingly went over to Tailyn and nodded toward Valanil.
“Go ahead. I’ll take over here.”
A couple minutes later, they’d found out that fire, ice, and acid all worked beautifully on the guardsmen. Tailyn preferred the cold, though that was just because it kept their opponents from shooting back at them. It was terrifying when someone in the middle of burning up or melting away ignored the pain and tried to fight it out. The cold just turned them into icicles, and at that point it only took a single hit from Matilda to shatter them. Freezing didn’t hurt, either… The boy had been through fire, so he knew what the guardsmen were feeling. Sure, they weren’t alive or real, but it still got to him every time Valanil tossed a flask of alchemical fire. In those moments, it was unsettling to watch the insanity in her eyes. She’d found targets that were perfect for taking out all the pain and hatred that had built up over the years, and it didn’t bother her that she was scaring the boy.
“More!” she said, holding out a hand and waving away the ice. “Fire!”
Yet again, the biggest problem for the group was the central cave. Thirty of the guardsmen had congregated there, so Tailyn set the elixirs out in front of himself and activated his wave of fire, not thinking of a better way to handle the situation. Just as he’d expected, the fire did nothing, though it did push the guardsmen to leave their posts in groups of two or three. Valanil and Li-Ho-Dun met them in the narrow tunnel. And while the dragon wasn’t able to do much, it still took out three of them.
Congratulations!
You destroyed the second round of monsters.
The dungeon has been updated, monster levels bumped up five times (current: 15).
Final round. Single combat.
“Student?”
“Nothing.” The boy knew what Forian was asking, but his screen was empty. There were no opponents within twenty meters.
“I’d bet my life it’s in the big cave,” Valanil muttered. The group had been forced to hunt down the last guardsmen in one of the rays.
“Tailyn, take the cage,” Forian said, ridding himself of a responsibility he didn’t think should be his so long as he had a student there to take care of it.
And Valanil was right. A red dot appeared on Raptor when the group got to the middle of the dungeon, and when Tailyn focused on it, he couldn’t suppress an exclamation of surprise. He’d never seen a description like that.
Isr Kale’s Essence (boss monster). Artificial creation. Level 15. Abilities:
Automatic attack. The boss uses one of his tentacles to strike a target. Cooldown time: 3 seconds.
Creature summons. The boss summons 10 level 15 helpers that live for 30 seconds. Cooldown time: 2 minutes.
Necrotic strike. The boss turns in a random direction, prepares for two seconds, and attacks the sector in front of it with dark matter. The sector is cleared of dark matter 3 minutes later. Cooldown time: 2 minutes.
Frenzy. When the boss’s personal shield disappears, his attack speed and damage are increased by a factor of 5.
“What’s a boss?” three people asked so synchronously that it sounded like they’d spent hours practicing. Forian maintained his imperturbable expression.
“There’s no exact data, just rumors and short mentions from the ancients. But that doesn’t matter now — I need to get a look at him.”
A few turns and a hallway later, the group found itself right outside the main cave. Isr Kale’s essence was a transparent person three meters tall and wearing a mottled guardsman’s uniform. Standing in the middle of the cave with his arms crossed over his chest, he looked like he was waiting for the group — Tailyn had no doubt he already knew they were there. And the boy was about to step into the cave when Forian stopped him.
“Tailyn Vlashich, Valia Levor, and Valanil Revolt, you need to swear that you will never, either in word or in deed, verbally or non-verbally, make reference to what you’re about to learn. Repeat after me…”
“Aren’t you asking us for a lot of these?” Valanil replied with annoyance in her voice. “Everywhere we go, it’s just secrets and oaths. Is that a mage thing?”
“It’s not up for discussion,” Forian shot back. “I was given clear instructions, and you’re not part of them. The only reason you’re here is because Keran is dead. So, you can either take the oath, or we’ll wait, activate the portal, and head out. That’s it.”
“I’m in,” Tailyn said. He was dead set against leaving the dungeon one step away from finding out where the key to Lavr Nalin’s notebook was hidden.
“I’m with Tailyn,” Valia chimed in, taking the boy by the hand and glancing over at the herbalist expectantly. “Studying at the academy comes with a lot of responsibilities, and it’s a good idea to get used to not being able to blab about everything. Or was there someone you were planning on reporting back to?”
Valanil had some choice words for the girl, but she kept them to herself.
“It’s fine with me, too. I’m just surprised.” The herbalist backed down, and a minute lat
er the group was bathed in a white glow. The System had accepted their oath.
“Okay, so what’s on your mind? What’s a boss?”
“I have no idea,” Forian said with a grin as he turned toward the creature. “I’ve never encountered one before. Everyone, remember where you are so you don’t happen into the sector with necrotic energy. Meanwhile, you take the summoned creatures with fire, Tailyn. The dragon can lead the ghost around the edge of the cave.”
“My dragon?” the boy asked in surprise.
“Student, am I using words you don’t understand?” Forian raised his voice, making it perfectly clear he wasn’t happy with Tailyn.
“But it’ll die!”
“If you don’t stay on your toes, you’ll die, too, and soon,” the mage said forcefully. “Send the dragon in. Now!”
“Come on, my boy, there’s a reason you made it a shield,” Valanil said gently. Her tone couldn’t have been more different from his mentor’s — she was trying to get through to him. “Don’t worry about your companion. If you can handle this, it’ll handle it. Just keep a close eye on things, lead the monster around the edge, and everything will be fine. Okay?”
Forest of Desire (The Alchemist Book #2): LitRPG Series Page 31
